LMSD Robotics Teams Shine at States as Dragons, Royals & Rams Qualify for Worlds

Lower Merion School District robotics teams delivered an impressive showing at the VEX Robotics Eastern PA Push Back State Championship, held March 14-15 at Norristown Area High School. Students from Black Rock Middle School, Welsh Valley Middle School and Harriton High School all competed at the event, with each school qualifying a team for the 2026 VEX Robotics World Championship in St. Louis at the end of April. Qualifying for Worlds is no small feat, making the advancement of three LMSD teams especially impressive.

Black Rock led the way with a standout performance that included several major honors. Coach John V’Soske was named Volunteer of the Year, an individual recognition that honors exceptional dedication, time and energy in support of VEX events. BRMS Team 19085C, the Tank Engines — comprised of eighth graders Ivan Li, Finnegan Keeler, Benjamin Sherman and Thomas Airoldi — captured the Excellence Award, the highest honor in VEX Robotics competition, recognizing overall strength across judged categories and on-field performance. Also representing the Royals was BRMS Team 19085D, the Optimus Primates, which earned the Sportsmanship Award, recognizing professionalism, respect and positive conduct throughout the competition.

Harriton also turned in a strong showing at states, as Team 197E, Ethereus, won the Design Award and placed second in Robot Skills, which measures how effectively teams score points in dedicated skills runs.

Welsh Valley also earned a place at Worlds through the state championship’s qualification process. While the team did not receive a judged or tournament award at this specific event, the Dragons secured their berth through the event’s advancement structure after a strong season that also included the Judges and Excellence awards, among others, at earlier tournaments. (See here and here.) Representing the Dragons at Worlds will be eighth graders Jacob Libby and Renaud Palmer from Team 19072B, Viserion.

With Black Rock, Welsh Valley and Harriton each sending a team to the international competition, LMSD will be well represented in St. Louis later this month. Because qualifying for the VEX Robotics World Championship is extremely challenging, the District’s three Worlds berths make for an especially significant achievement!